The present invention generally relates to erasable writing compositions. The invention particularly relates to an ink formulation that allows for one to form a mark that is only erasable for a given period of time, and preferably includes the ability to tune the ink formulation to a desired period of time.
Academic dishonesty on standardized, high value examinations (e.g., state evaluation exams and college entrance exams) throughout the student population has been of great concern for many years. As such, a significant amount of identification, procedural, and engineering hurdles have been developed to verify that marks received by the students taking the examinations are a true reflection of the abilities of the students. However, a new mechanism and motivation for academic dishonesty on standardized examinations has emerged more recently. In particular, many high-profile cases have demonstrated that the proctors, educators, and administrators trusted with ensuring the fidelity of the completed testing materials are not above reproach. That is, recent incidents in major school systems in major American cities (e.g., Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and Indianapolis) have shown that adults who are responsible for returning completed student examinations to the evaluation center have altered the students' exams in order to improve the overall scores of the school district. While the underlying economic and political motivations (e.g., financial incentives for educators and school districts that have top-performing scores) for these deceitful practices are complex in nature, it is blatantly apparent that the dishonesty of people more senior than the student test takers is of crucial import, and, currently, there exists no mechanism by which to prevent these types of cheating behaviors.
Furthermore, it is quite apparent that, due to the large scales utilized and low costs required in standardized and high value testing, that these tests will continue to remain paper-based (i.e., not computer-based) domestically for the foreseeable future, and the market for paper-based standardized tests will continue to grow as developing economies attempt to model the system prevalent in the United States. Therefore, the stakes for preventing academic dishonesty in paper-based standardized testing are rising, and the current systems being used address only one portion of the dishonesty spectrum. That is, despite the highly-refined (and costly) methodologies put in place currently to prevent student cheating, the weakest point in the overall prevention of academic dishonesty on high-value testing is still the simple “number 2” pencil because of the potential for cheating at the administration/reporting level.
Accordingly, there is a need for methods or devices by which students may complete paper-based examinations while reducing the likelihood that the students' answers may be changed at a later time by a third party prior to being marked appropriately by an external agency.